2023 MCC UN Office Student Seminar
Peacebuilding: Does the UN Matter?
From decades of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to military rule in Myanmar, to the Russia military invasion of Ukraine, to rising injustice and tensions in Palestine-Israel, to 70 years of a divided Korean peninsula, to US-China superpower battles which can paralyze decisive UN action, what role does – and can – the UN play for better or worse in terms of meaningful action for peace? Through engagement with UN diplomats, UN peacebuilding staff, and grassroots civil society peacemakers, the seminar will provide students an opportunity to look closely at the UN system – its gifts, challenges, and opportunities for authentic peacebuilding.
MCC is serving now, and has for decades, in all the above places of conflict and high tension. And we are present at the United Nations, engaging diplomats and the UN system about these crises. In this three-day seminar, students will:
- Engage the theme with presenters from the fields of UN diplomacy, international NGO’s, and MCC experts and partners.
- Learn about and evaluate the UN’s “New Agenda for Peace.”
- Learn about the work of the UN, about faith-based advocacy, and about calls to reform the UN.
- Take a tour of the United Nations building and engage with one another within the UN’s dynamic setting in New York City.
- Engage a mix of plenary sessions and small groups offering high interaction with experts.
- Connect with and learn from fellow students.
- Apply learnings to their own context.
